At Least 30 Dead in Clashes Between Pro-Ukrainians and Pro-Russians in Odessa, Ukraine

2 May 2014

May 2 was the most violent and deadly day in Ukraine since the Euromaidan protests began in November 2013. Between 30-40 people were killed in Odessa after pro-Ukrainians and pro-Russians clashed.

As Maxim Eristavi points out, it was “the darkest day since the February massacre in Kyiv.”

Odessa exploded in the late afternoon after the two groups met in the middle of the street. Blogger Nikolai Holmav and reporter Howard Amos are in Odessa and witnessed the entire fight. It is hard to put into words the violence experienced in Odessa; Amos’s pictures speak louder than any words. He documented the violence as it escalated throughout the day.

Amos said there were Molotov cocktails, and pro-Ukranians took a fire engine.

Then the pro-Ukraine crowd headed to the trade union building, which has been occupied by pro-Russian forces. The trade union building in Kyiv became a symbol of the Euromaidan protests after it was torched. As the pro-Ukraine crowd moved forward, the pro-Russians attacked them from the rooftop.

The violence finally ended around 9:30 p.m. local time. Amos reported there were men with baseball bats under a bridge who asked people if they were with Odessa or Moscow; the correct answer was “Odessa.”

At the conclusion of the violence, the only people left were the ones who perished and the medical examiners sent to examine the bodies.